2011-15 Chevrolet Cruze Review

The Chevy Cruze is a "global car" with high expectations

Is it good or is it just another rent-a-car Cobalt?

In short, yes, its quite good, for the Cobalt's successor. Chevy is really trying to market all their cars as "global" which I guess in some way they are. Its good to see that car manufacturers are realizing that car standards should be the same for all countries. So this car is sold almost the exact same in many countries around the world, except a  few engine differences. It is supposed to be a small family sedan that works for everyone. The Chevy Cruze came to North America ( specifically the USA and Canada) in 2011. It doesn't look that bad, but its not particularly exciting either. Take a look:

Different Styles:

The Chevy Cruze globally comes as a 4 door sedan, 5 door hatchback, and a wagon. However, for the North American market it only comes as the 4 door sedan. It does however come in a variety of engine choices and trims. It has a 1.8L 4 cylinder, a 1.4L turbo 4 (both the same as the Chevy Sonic), and starting in 2013 a 2.0L 4 cylinder diesel was added. They all come with either a 6 speed manual or 6 speed auto transmissions. I will cover both the 1.8 and 1.4 engines. I have not had a chance to try the diesel engine but I have heard from my sources that its ok, not the best, but ok. It also comes in an "Eco" model that uses skinnier tires and has some cool airflow tricks and weight savings. 

Styling and Comfort Impressions:

Up front, I don't like it. Its too stubby looking and unless you get the higher trim levels with fog lamps and ground kits it just looks too plain. The sides, also quite plain, but good sized windows. This is in no way a small car, it fits in the upper end of the compact class. I will compliment the different wheel styles you can get on the Cruze, they all look pretty good and seem to fit well on it. Finally we get to the back of the car. I actually quite like the rear of the Cruze, its simple, not trying to be super sporty but you can get added bits that fit well on the upper trims and there is something about the chrome bar that adds just a touch of class. Chrome makes cars look better ( new Honda Civic...). My overall impression of the outside is that its nicer than the Cobalt, but that its still very plain compared to other cars in the class. It sorta looks like it wouldn't be a bad rent-a-car... well, I guess the Cobalt's legend lives on! You can get it in a nice variety of colours though.

Lets get to the inside; in short, its much better. This car must have the most interior colour choices on the market besides a custom designed car. It has 4 different cloth colours and 3 different leather colours to choose from, here are some:

And more...

The front dash and center console of the Cruze is a fantastic piece of futuristic art. It has a great combo of shiny plastics, "metal" pieces, and the different colour panels. These colour combos look great, with any being a good pick except maybe the grey on grey. I also like how no matter what trim level and multimedia package you get, it still has plenty of buttons so you don't have to worry about using the touch screen while driving. The windows are decently large and visibility is somewhat good, but I always got the feeling that the rear view mirror was too small. 

The seats are very comfy and somewhat sporty so they are very supportive. However, due to the sporty bucket styling of the seats, larger people will feel maybe a bit too snug while driving. Even though this is one of the largest compact cars in the class, it felt somewhat cramped while upfront. The seats have enough movement in them that anyone should be able to find a comfortable driving position. The back seat is pretty good as well, I did notice that while the seats were nice and wide for 3 people, there was not a lot of legroom for myself sitting behind myself. My knees were touching the seat in front and there was not a lot of space for my feet, but it wasn't super uncomfortable. 

The trunk is large and has one of the largest pass through to the back seats when folded down in the class. Finally, the stereo, like in most Chevy cars now, seems to be quite good. Its loud and clear and in the upper trims you can get a good number of speakers. 

A nice thing that the Cruze does that may put it into the running for many people is the fact that you can have just about every possible feature you can think of in a car of this size and price, especially like heated seats, large screen multimedia units, back up camera, Bluetooth, and more.

Driving Impressions:

The Chevy Cruze is a car that has to try to appeal to many different types of people, and it sorta does, I guess. It needs to be economical, it needs to be budget friendly, it needs to be easy to look after, a small family car, and not be as bad as the Cobalt. So lets start with the 1.8L engine that you get in the base models. It is definitely the quieter of the two main engines in both the city and on the highway. And that is about the only reason why anyone would get the 1.8L engine in this, maybe its a bit cheaper but trust me, get the 1.4L Turbo. They both have about the same amount of HP, but the 1.4L has more torque, which means it is going to feel more perky in the city. Both engines sorta run out of steam on the highway but the 1.4 feels a bit stronger. It also seems to be a bit louder than the 1.8. 

Another nice thing about the 1.4L Turbo is that it does not need special gas. Overall driving dynamics are not bad for the Cruze. It feels composed in the city and around corners ( as much as an economy car should), especially when you upgrade to larger wheels and sporty suspension; actually it gets a bit too rough. It turns tight which is great for parking lots and small streets. It has decent visibility but it could be better. It is a smooth car that I wouldn't mind traveling long distances in and with the nice large trunk road trips with some buds is an option. There doesn't seem to be much wind or road noise, the most noise comes from the engines so that is nice once you are cruising (pun intended) down the road. 

Overall:

If you are looking for a somewhat large compact car that is and does just a little bit of everything somewhat well ( sporty, economical, comfy, good looking) but nothing extremely well, then the Chevy Cruze is the car for you. With the huge available list of optional features this car can really become quite an attractive choice. It is a bit heavier and larger than other compacts and others definitely look better on the outside, but few can match the futuristic look on the inside. With three engine choices and a variety of colours the car can be made to fit anyone. Just remember that this is a Chevrolet, so resale value isn't the best (which is good for used car shoppers) and reliability may be spotty down the road. So just check to make sure everything seems right when you test drive one.

Facts/ Figures:

Price ( for mid trim level): $23,000+

FWD

MPG (approx*):1.8L (1.4L Turbo) 26 (26) city, 36 (38) highway

Cargo room (approx*): 15 CuFt

Length: 181"

Width: 71''

Tank Size (gal): 15.6

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 483

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $12,000+ 

* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic. 

Links:
Chevy Canada

Chevy USA

Enjoy!

P.S. I would like to note that any prices I put up for a new car is usually with tax included.

J.K.